EMQ » April – June 2024 » Volume 60 Issue 2
Grit to Stay Grace to Go: Staying Well in Cross-Cultural Ministry
By Sue Eenigenburg and Eva Burkholder
William Carey, 2023
216 pages
US$17.99
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Reviewed by L. Lynn Thigpen, PhD, adjunct professor, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, and emeritus IMB missionary to Southeast Asia.
I admit it. A few years ago, I left our mission field (for retirement) kicking and screaming. In my mind, all faithful missionaries stayed till death. My husband developed health issues but were those severe enough to merit leaving the field? Many questions surround going or staying. If I had Grit to Stay Grace to Go, written by Sue Eenigenburg and Eva Burkholder, I could have worked through their final section, “Deciding to Stay or Go” and explored fourteen critical questions addressed there. Instead, as soon as I received this valuable resource, I began with Part Three and walked through grace.
Written by missionary veterans, the book has two other parts/sections. The first has ten chapters and explores Angela Duckworth’s concept of grit and the challenges of staying on the field when life is difficult. The second section with twelve topics deals with remaining on the field when others leave. Each chapter in Part One contains topical content, lies for which we might fall, truths to remember, reflection questions, response assignments, a prayer, and resources. I especially appreciated the well-crafted reflection questions and the multitude of resources, including URLs and easier-to-use QR codes (despite a few errors found when utilizing them). The listing would have benefited from a bit of explanation of each resource, but I recognize the amount of work involved in creating it. The remaining chapters in parts 2 and 3 keep the same format but omit the discussion of lies and truths.
As an emeritus missionary who goes back to the field periodically, I devoured stories about folks just like me. Those who have not learned a language or lived in a foreign land cannot be expected to fully understand us or grasp what we face. Sue and Eva have “written out loud” what so many of us have thought in our hearts – the struggles, the team issues, the spiritual battles, and the emotional weight of carrying the Great Commission on our shoulders.
Although especially suited for women, Grit to Stay Grace to Go should not be shunned by male missionaries. Do not skip Jeff Adams’ foreword, as he summarizes the book well, “What cross-cultural workers face is not an issue of geography, personalities, or people groups, but rather a war of cosmic proportions, a spiritual war beyond our full comprehension and for which we mortal humans need grit and grace” (xii). Single and married workers alike will appreciate the honesty and points of discussion and the many additional resources referenced. The advice contained is invaluable, and every new and seasoned missionary alike would benefit from tucking this resource in their already overweight luggage.
For Further Reading
Frontline Women: Negotiating Cross-cultural Issues in Ministry by Marguerite G. Kraft (William Carey, 2012).
Encountering Missionary Life and Work: Preparing for Intercultural Ministry by Tom Steffen and Lois McKinney (Baker Academic, 2008).
Have We No Rights? A Frank Discussion of the “Rights” of Missionaries by Mabel Williamson (Moody Press, 1957).
EMQ, Volume 60, Issue 2. Copyright © 2024 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
